Plastic composition



i i To all whom it may concern! i Io Drawing.

} stem-1s PATENT orrion.

cont 1:. on NEW roan, n. Y.,- assrsnon 'ro THE BARRETT common, a f Y CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

rnas'rrc comrosr'rroisrv Be it known that 1, JOHN M. Weiss, a

citizen of the United States, residing at 210 West 110th street, New York, in the county.

of New York and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Plastic Compositions, of which the following is a specification.

T This invention relates to the production of new and useful compositions of matter which are temperatures to bejmolded into different shapes and are capable of retaining such shapes with a considerable degree of tenac ity, or may even be made to set and harden so as to resist distortion.

One of the essential ingredients or constituents of the compositions made in accordance with this invention is a bitumen within the standard definition of the American Society for Testing Materials. This "bitumen is obtained as a"condensable distillate inthe final stage of the destructive dis-, tillation of coal tar or coal tar pitch and is semi-solid to solid at ordinary temperatures. It has an extremely high boiling point, above 700 F. in many instances but imdergoes partial decomposition if distilled at atmospheric pressure. It varies in color from dark brown to a bright cherry red, in melting point from about 110 F. to about 190 F., and inspecific gravity from about'1.15 to 1.25, according to the cut during the distillation of coal tar or coal tar pitch, and it is relatively free from free carbon. It possesses exceedingly high di-electric strength, is very resistant to dilute acids and alkalis, is unsaponifiable and issoluble in such common solvents as benzol, and coal tar naphthas, etc. This specifice bitumen will be referred to inthe claims as the semi-solid to solid bitumen obtainable bythe destructive distillation of coal tar pitch.

This bitumen does not lose noticeably by evaporation nor is it readily oxidized when exposed to the air at atmospheric temperatures. After'bein thinned or dissolved'in a solvent either a one or mixed with other ingredients such as gums, resins, linseed oil,

etc., it may be applied as a paint or varnish.

When t e bitumen is initially produced'in an impure state or. has an objectionably dark color it may be purified or clarified by caresufi'iciently plastic at elevated Specification of Letters Patent Patented Mar, 16, 1920, Application filed July 8,1919. Serial No. 308,510. 1

partial or complete removal of the obj ection -v able coloration so. as to leave a bitumen which possesses thev desired qualities or characteristics and is substantially. free from black constituents and free carbon so that the refined or purified bitumen will not ma described below.

According to the present invention this semi-solid .to solid bitumen is incorporated with other-ingredients to. form a composition of matter that is capable of being molded. For this purpose the bitumen described above may be heated until it becomes substantially liquid and there are then in-' troduced into the liquid bitumen comminuted particles or fibers of such material as cork, asbestos, wood, cotton, wool, or paper stock, etc., or a mixture of any or all of them together with pigments,.of 'colorin matter,

and loading materialsuch as 'san sizing,

etc., if desired. The materials are thor oughly stirred in the liquid after which the batch is permitted to cool somewhat whereupon it becomes plastic so that it is capable of being molded, or extruded through dies of proper shape, or may be passed between rollers to produce sheets.

The bitumen acts as abinder for the comminuted or fibrous particles while these par ticles serve to strengthen and give rigidity to the composition which would. be lacking in the bitumen alone.

Instead of first softenin or melting the bitumen and then introducing the other materials, the bitumen may be dissolved in a. suitable solvent and the other materials may then be introduced into the solution and thoroughly mixed therewith after which the solvent is removed as by evaporationto leave the composition in suitable condition for being shaped into the desired shapes. Any

other practical method may be employed to produce an intimate association of the bitumen and the other constituents of the composltlon.

Thelasticity of the composition, especially at elevated temperatures, is such that the composition can be molded into the desired shapes.

The composition which is produced by this invention can be made to vary in its qualities to a considerable extent by a judiiious selectionof the other ingredients with or degrees of hardness, and '(lilferentcolors and specific gravities.

The composition is useful in many different arts, for example, as fillers for shoes, ta-

- ble tops, boards, etc., or it can be molded into buckets, pails, etc., or used as a coating for wood or concrete, or as a seal for cracks and joints in boxes, build ings, pipes, conduits, etc. Its freedom from attack by acids and alkalis, its pleasing color and its nonvolatile and unsaponifiable character render it suitable for a great variety of purposes, unnecessary to enumerate, where such quali ties are desirable. After the*composition has been shaped into the article it is desired to-make, such as pails, for example, the pails may be dipped into the melted bitumen so as tohave its surfaces coated with the bitumen, and the articles can be ornamented by stamping or embossing designs upon the surfaces thereof.

Claims: y 1. As a new product, a composition contaming a semi-solid to solid bitumen obtainable by the destructive distillation of coal tar, and fibrous material.

3. As a new product,a composition contaming a semi-solid to solid bitumen obtainable by the destructive distillation of coal tar, fibrous material, and an artificial coloring matter.

4. As a new product, an article of manufacture, containing a semi-solid to solid bitumen obtainable by the destructive distillation of coal tar and fibrous material, said article being coated with said bitumen.

5. As a new product, an. article of manufacture, containing a semi-solid to solidbitumen obtainable by the destructive distillation of coal tar and other material, said other material being non-liquefiable by heat, and said article being coated'with said bitumen. i

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature.

JOHN M. WEISS. 

